Indian Railways Could Start 19 Intra-State Trains in Maharashtra by October 15

Given that local train operations are still not accessible to the common public, the Maharashtra State Government recently said that it has provided Indian Railways with the freedom to start intra-state services including local trains within the state. Keeping this in mind, officials from the Indian Railways said that they are evaluating the trains that can be run within the state by mid-October.

As of now, proposals have been sent to start 19 trains, particularly the Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen train in addition to Mahalaxmi, Vidarbha, Sewagram, Pragati, Intercity, Shirdi as well as Sinhagad Express trains among others. In addition to these trains, proposals have been reportedly sent to run special trains on routes with a large passenger load. 

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Authorities have also pitched four trains to the north and southern parts of India including Punjab Mail. It is worth noting that the proposals are at an early stage at the moment, and no confirmation has been provided. 

Some other special trains have been proposed by the authorities for routes like Gorakhpur, Howrah, Lucknow, and Madgaon. Officials are contemplating the addition of special trains to accommodate passengers during festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja.

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It is said that intra-state trains may begin operations by October 15, though special trains may become operational by October 10. 

“All the proposals are being examined in close coordination with the state government, given the severity of the pandemic. Any decision would only be taken after taking all aspects into consideration so that there is no need for a roll-back,” an official said.

In Pune, the Police Commissioner has drafted standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the safe resumption of trains based on Mumbai’s template which currently allows frontline workers to take local trains using a QR code-based identification system.